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FORUM on Corrections Research
Do Media Events Affect Correctional Policy? Furlough Programs and the 1988 Presidential Campaign
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Correctional systems are frequently pressured to amend their conditional release practices following
negative media coverage of correctional policies or when sensational incidents involving released
offenders occur in the community. State furlough and work release programs in the United States suffered
tremendously poor press during the 1988 presidential campaign in that country. Some interpreters have
argued that Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis' position on furlough programs, and the media
attention attracted by the case of furloughed offender Willie Horton during the campaign, were critical
factors in the victory of President George Bush. The National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) recently published findings from a study of the impact of the presidential campaign on furlough and work release programs reported by state correctional systems in the United States. The NCIA, a criminal justice consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., surveyed all 50 states in an effort to determine whether furlough and work release rates declined during the campaign period of September through November 1988. The research group compared the number of furloughs and work releases granted during the campaign with rates recorded for the same period in 1987. The results of the NCIA study highlight the fact that the impact of media events on correctional policy is a complex phenomenon. The study showed that if the 1988 presidential campaign did influence furlough and work release rates, the effects were not felt uniformly across the United States. At the national level, NCIA found that furlough and work release rates were lower between September and November 1988 than during the same months in the previous year. The researchers estimated that in the three-month period in 1987, the number of furloughs granted by the 40 state systems for which rates were available was 21,765. The total figure for the same 40 states during the 1988 presidential campaign was 20,340 - a decline of 7%. Rates for work release programs also declined by 9%, from an estimated 27,944 in 1987 to 25,553 during the 1988 period. Although the national figures provide some support for the hypothesis that the presidential campaign played a role in the declining release rates, the study also revealed that rates actually increased in some jurisdictions. In fact, while furlough rates dropped in 14 states, they increased in 18 states and remained the same in eight other states during the 1988 campaign period. For example, in Utah, the number of furloughs granted rose from 423 in the 1987 period to 859 during the campaign - a dramatic increase of 103%. In the large jurisdiction of California, which granted over 3,200 furloughs in the 1987 period, the same rate was reported for the 1988 comparison period. Another interesting finding was that some states granted fewer furloughs, but more work releases at the same time. A close inspection of the state-by-state figures released by NCIA demonstrates that a large proportion of the decline in the granting of furloughs could be traced to a small number of jurisdictions. Of the 14 states that reported lower furlough rates for the comparison periods, four reported very dramatic declines. Kansas, Mississippi, New Mexico and New York accounted for 82% of the total decline for the 14 states in which decreasing furlough rates were recorded. One of the conclusions of the NCIA survey was that fluctuations in furlough rates that may have been triggered by the presidential campaign are, at most, temporary. The researchers found that while some states initiated more restrictive furlough policies, in some cases the policies would not significantly affect the overall furlough rate. For example, the state of Missouri suspended out-of-state furloughs and Wisconsin moved to eliminate furloughs for inmates serving life sentences. One interpretation offered by NCIA is that policy changes may have been hastily implemented to avoid further legislative action that would seriously restrict the operation of successful furlough programs. The NCIA study was not able to provide figures on changes in furlough and work release rates that occurred during the year that followed the presidential campaign. However, the authors of the report noted that as of June 1989, no legislation had been enacted in the United States to curtail the use of furloughs. It would appear that any damage to furlough and work release programs that resulted from the 1988 negative media attention will not be permanent. National Centre on Institutions and Alternatives (1989). Survey of State Work Release and Furlough Programs. NCIA, 635 Slaters Lane, Suite G-100, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. |
